Pressure bulb and holder



March 23, 1954 R. s. KNAPP 2,673,004

PRESSURE BULB AND HOLDER Filed June 25, 1949 Patented Mar. 23, 1954 ENTOFFH'IE 2,673,004 PRESSURE BULB AND HOLDER Robert S, Knapp,Knapp-Monarch Comp corporation of Delawar St. Louis, Mo., assigner toany, St. Louis, -Mo., a e

Application June 25, 1949, Serial No. 101,451

2 laims.

'I-his invention relates to a special type `of pressure -bulb and aspecial holder therefor whereby different designs of pressure bulbs maybe provided and a specific one of the designs will intert operationallywith` only a specific holder dessigned `particularly therefor While atthe same time none of the bulbs will t a standard holder.

@ne object of the invention is to provide means to prevent inadvertentdischarge of a certain `'gas from v'a :pressure bulb i'nto a containerthat is `not supposed to receive such gas. For instance, some pressurebulbs contain a gas for processing foods While others may contain gasand sometimes liquid also, either of which may be of toxic nature, andit is lobviously 'undesirable to discharge `such into ya container 1oi"lfood. By Way of a speciiic example, cream 'aerators are designed tohave a bulb of vCO2) and/or nitrous oxide discharged into the 'container'of cream Whereas some bulbs contain a quantity yof insecticide, and acharge of CQ for discharging the insecticide. Obviously it is desirableto provide means to prevent inadvertent discharging' 'of the insecticideint'o the cream container.

One object of my present invention therefore is `to provide a design vofbulb which cannot be inserted into a standard bulb holder for syphon'sor lfood processing containers and `the like, but which can be used i'na -holderespecially designed for the'bul-b, means of 'cooperation beingprovided between 'various bulbs 'and their respective holders-forpermitting 4coaction and operation of only a certain design 'of 'bulbwith 'a 'certain `design of holder.

Another object is to .provide a `simple means to prevent coaction 'of anundesirable bulb with a standard bulb holder for syphons or for foodprocessing comprising a rib formed around the bulb.

Still another object is to provide a special hold-el' for vtheparticular bulb just described which has a "shl'der 'at the"arop'el"place for engaging the bead and propelling the bulb against theypiercing pin for the b'ulb.V

AJ-further object is Ito provide bulbs with beads at vdiiierent positonstherealon'g and holders having shoulders at different locationscorresponding thereto, the arrangement being such that only apredetermined holder Will coact With and properly operate apredetermined bulb.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of mypressure bulb and my holder therefor whereby the objects contemplatedare attained, as hereg inafter more fully set forth, pointed 'out in Yclaims 'and illustrated in the accompanying fdr-atvings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of one form which my improved pressurebulb 'may take.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereoic showing la holder 'designed forthis particular bulb, and showing 'the parts prior to the holdei bein?,fscrewed down for effecting piercing of the fbulb.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the holder screwed down to the nal'position for sealing `the bulb with respect to a receiver thereioi'andpiercine,r the bulb for escape of the `gas thererofm.

Figure 4 is a similar view show-ing by means of solid lines a differentlbulb and holder; and

Figures 5, v(i and '7 are similar views showing still other designs ofbulbs and holders 'to illus'- trate the range of 'possibilities forinteriittih'g bulbs vand holders with Leach other in "such manner thatbulbs of 'a design not intended for a Sparticular holder 'can either not'be received far enough into the holder or are vreceived too ira-rthereinto so Athat the bulb cannot be pierced when the holder is screweddown.

In Figure 1, 'show a bulb l0 having the usual neck i2 having apuncturable 'diaphragm M seaiin'g the outer end o'f the neck. The bulbthus Sfar described is a standard bulb fsold under the Sparklettrade-mark. It is designed to be -re'- ceived in a holder thatsubstan'tialy 'fits it and the majority vof 'uses are for syphons andcream aerators.

The invention in the present case contemplates the addition of Aabead l'around 'the bulb s'o'that the bulb cannot be received in a standard-hbld'e'r and the provision of 'a special holder i8 xviii accommodatethe bead. This 'bead would be ipr'ovided yon any bulb 'charged 'with agas Snot iintended for use in a syphon `or creara aerator,

In Figure 2, I show vthe `holder 1&2 Ifoi ithe bulb I0, a shoulder 20being provided therein to gage 'the bead .it as illustrated and thelio-lider lia-ving threads 22 terminating in a pilot portion 213. 'Thethreads 22 are adapted to c'oact tiri-th threads .2e of 'a receiver )zewhich be a futtihfg on a Contailier for, Where 'the bulb fdo'ntaihs both'a liquid 'to be 'lisp'en'sed 'and a compressed gas for providing thedispensing pressure, the tting 28 may be a control valve structure ormerely a discharge nozzle such as a capillary tube. The tting 28 mayextend from a suitable container to receive the gas such as a containerof liquid to be dispensed under the pressure produced by the gas. In anycase, the Jutting would include a piercing pin 3b and a sealing gasket32 fr .a with a suitable passageway 34 leading to the container, nozzleor capillary tube. In Figure 2, a portion of the lower right corner ofthe fitting has been broken away to illustrate more clearly thepilotportion 24 of the holder I8.

Figure 2 illustrates the pilot portion 24 engaged on the threads 26 ofthe fitting 2B. The fitting is then screwed down as in Figure 3 whichfirst engages the outer end of the neck l2 and the diaphragm I4 with thesealing washer 32 and then engages the diaphragm with the piercing pin30 for the purpose of piercing the diaphragm to permit the gas to bedispensed through the passageway 34. In the nal position of Figure 3 theholder has caused the bulb to be sealed and properly pierced forcomplete discharge of its contents.

The bead IS- around the bulb ID may be placed in different positions,Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrating what I will term as the third (3)position. This is indicated by 3 within a circle. In Figure 4, Iillustrate the bead i6 slightly ahead of that in Figure 3 and refer toit as the second position (2). The dotted position in this figureillustrates the position of the bulb (2) and holder IB before the holderis screwed down on the itting 28. The shoulder indicated at 23e in thisinstance, is at a diiferent position in the holder I8 than shown inFigure 3, in order to properly cooperate With the bead I6 at the (2)position.

In Figure 5, I show the bead it in solid lines at the fourth (4)position and the shoulder 29h changed in position to correspond thereto.By means of dotted lines, I show the relative position of a (3) bead inrelation to the (4) bead and it is obvious that the holder I8 in thisparticular figure can be screwed all the way down before it contacts the(3) bead so that a bulb of the kind shown in Figure 3 could not beoperated in a holder of the kind shown in Figure 4. On the other hand,if a bulb with the bead at position (3) is placed in the holder ofFigure 4, the left end of the holder could not even be engaged with thethreads 26 of the tting 28. It is obvious, therefore, that the merechange in position of the bead I6 and its corresponding shoulder 20eliminate the possibility of the wrong bulb being received in andoperated by a holder not intended for it.

As a further extension of the idea, I show in Figure 6 how the bead maybe in a rst position (l), and by means of dotted lines the position ofthe parts prior to the threads of the holder engaging the threads of thefitting. In this instance, the shoulder 2lic is still closer to thethreads than the shoulder 20a of Figure 4. On the other hand, the beadI6 may be at the (5) position illustrated in Figure 7 or even at theposition (6) illustrated therein by dotted lines which would call for ashoulder at 20d and 2&1e respectively.

From the foregoing specification it is obvious that I have provided asimple means for preventing certain designs of pressure bulbs from beingreceived in the holders for standard bulbs. Also, the bead around thebulb may be formed at different positions for proper coaction ofdifferent bulbs with only the holders designed therefor. Thus, it ispossible to charge the bulbs with many different materials withoutdanger of the wrong material being discharged into the wrong dispenseror discharge nozzle. Material such as deoderants, sun-tan solutions',perfumes, insecticides and the like could thus be dispensed from variousdispensers without possibility of an error resulting from putting thewrong bulb in the wrong dispenser. At the same time, standard well knownbulbs (predominantly CO2) could be used as they now are and bulbs of thekind disclosed in this application could not be used in the holders forthese standard bulbs.

By having the bead i6 at different positions along the axis of the bulb,and providing correspondingly designed holders, many different materialscan be discharged without danger of mixing bulbs and dispensers. Themeans for accomplishing these ends are relatively simple from themanufacturing standpoint as the bead can be readily formed around thebulb (which is drawn from sheet metal) at any desired position.

Some changes may be made in the design of the bulb-s and the holderstherefor without departing from the real spirit and purpose of myinvention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modifiedforms of structure 0r use of mechanical equivalents which may bereasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a pressure bulb and a holder therefor, a bulb having anenlargement surrounding the body thereof to prevent the reception ofsaid bulb in a bulb holder for a bulb without such enlargement, and aholder specifically for said bulb having an internal shoulder forengaging said enlargement and thereby propelling the bulb againstsealing and piercing means therefor, said shoulder being positioned foreffecting sealing and piercing of only a bulb having an enlargement in apredetermined position along the length of said bulb.

2. In a pressure bulb and holder therefor, a bulb having a beadsurrounding the body thereof and a tubular holder having a bore toreceive and closely fit said bulb, said bore having a counterbore, theouter end of which serves as a shoulder for engaging said bead andthereby propelling the bulb against a sealing washer and a piercing pinof a pressure reception fitting, said shoulder of said counterbore beingproperly positioned in respect to said bead when the holder isoperatively engaged with the pressure reception fitting to first eiectsealing and then piercing of the bulb as the holder is further engagedwith the fitting.

ROBERT S. KNAPP.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

